How do we honor those who have sacrificed for us? How do we remember and continue to tell their stories? In Durham there is a new public art mural project that hopes to do just that. Today when students are taught about the civil rights movement they learn about Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. who have both become larger than life. And yet the movement was built by those who live among us. According to the Project Director Brenda Miller Holmes, “The goal of this mural is to celebrate the hundreds of Durham citizens whose feet were on the ground and to commemorate the incredible sacrifices that were made to create social change in our country.”
The 2,400 square foot mural will be located in Downtown Durham near Durham’s History Hub and a stop on Durham’s civil rights history tour. The project is an innovative collaborative process that is engaging the Durham community, its historians, artists and voices from the past. Long after the paint dries on the wall, the education will continue through a multimedia component that will include a short documentary, a booklet and an interactive website.
The mural project began with a series of community workshops with historians and Durham residents who were involved in the civil rights movement. Then thirty Durham residents ages 15 – 65 with diverse backgrounds and varying degrees of artistic experience, came together to design the mural. This summer the community will be invited to participate in creating the mural itself.
Primary funding for the project came from the City of Durham, however, the size and scope has grown and additional funds are now needed. Since the work has already begun, raising money has been a race against time to ensure the mural is successfully completed.
The mural project has already had a significant impact on its participants. Hillside High School Student DeMarcus Boone said: “This project has aided me in building character and artistic skills. I love the unique feel of a community of various cultures combining to develop a piece of art.” Retired Art Educator Faye Brandon observed: “I think it is powerful to leave a visual legacy for the community. Hopefully, this visual will spark curiosity from the ones too young to remember and create an opportunity to talk with the ones who do remember.”
The Durham Civil Rights History Mural Project is about more than just a work of art. It is about the community taking pride in its history as well as remembering that by working together we are stronger than any one individual. We have the ability to make positive change in our communities. To provide much needed support for the project, visit www.brendamillerholmes.com.
The 2,400 square foot mural will be located in Downtown Durham near Durham’s History Hub and a stop on Durham’s civil rights history tour. The project is an innovative collaborative process that is engaging the Durham community, its historians, artists and voices from the past. Long after the paint dries on the wall, the education will continue through a multimedia component that will include a short documentary, a booklet and an interactive website.
The mural project began with a series of community workshops with historians and Durham residents who were involved in the civil rights movement. Then thirty Durham residents ages 15 – 65 with diverse backgrounds and varying degrees of artistic experience, came together to design the mural. This summer the community will be invited to participate in creating the mural itself.
Primary funding for the project came from the City of Durham, however, the size and scope has grown and additional funds are now needed. Since the work has already begun, raising money has been a race against time to ensure the mural is successfully completed.
The mural project has already had a significant impact on its participants. Hillside High School Student DeMarcus Boone said: “This project has aided me in building character and artistic skills. I love the unique feel of a community of various cultures combining to develop a piece of art.” Retired Art Educator Faye Brandon observed: “I think it is powerful to leave a visual legacy for the community. Hopefully, this visual will spark curiosity from the ones too young to remember and create an opportunity to talk with the ones who do remember.”
The Durham Civil Rights History Mural Project is about more than just a work of art. It is about the community taking pride in its history as well as remembering that by working together we are stronger than any one individual. We have the ability to make positive change in our communities. To provide much needed support for the project, visit www.brendamillerholmes.com.
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